1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to methods for improved building structures and the resulting structures. Particularly, the present disclosure is directed to improved techniques for configuring building surfaces, such as facades and roofs, as appropriate, to improve energy efficiency.
2. Description of Related Art
Based on the data presented by the Energy Information Administration, the greenhouse gases—primarily CO2—emitted due to the energy consumption by buildings (combined commercial and residential buildings) exceeds other sectors (transportation and industrial). A good practice in the design of sustainable buildings is to make the maximum use of passive solar energy. The building facade is the first frontier that interacts with the solar irradiance; hence, it plays a significant role in absorption and reflection of solar irradiation. A large body of work has been generated to make external and internal components of fenestrations block solar irradiance during the cooling season (summers) and admit it during heating season (winters), see [1-3], reducing the buildings' heating and cooling energy consumptions. However, to the knowledge of Applicant, almost no research and development has been performed on the opaque part of the facade.